No good deed goes unpunished for 17th-century French noblewoman Madame de Maintenon in the film Saint-Cyr. Maintenon, played by iconic French actress Isabelle Huppert, establishes a boarding school for the daughters of French nobility whose means have been reduced. But she comes to regret her charity, after finding herself at the center of feuding among the privileged. Meanwhile, her charges fall victim to the loitering and predatory sons of the idle rich. Quelle horreur!
Saint-Cyr is one of 12 films in the retrospective “Isabelle Huppert: Woman of Many Faces,” which also includes a display of 17 portraits of the dynamic actress throughout her 34-year film career.Saint-Cyr screens today at 7 p.m. Films continue through June 25. Photograph exhibit on view through July 2.
Sat., June 17, 7 p.m.
This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2006.